Love in the Land of Fire

by Brochu, Rebecca

  You’ll never forget the way this feels. It’ll be so good that you’ll crave it, feel it, feel me, every time you close your eyes.”

  Rafe trembles beneath him and hisses slightly when Josiah’s cock prods at the cleft of his ass. Josiah nips sharply at the side of his neck before rearing back up and wrapping a hand still slick with oil around his own cock. He slicks his shaft from base to tip with a few strokes, shuddering at the feeling, before he guides himself closer to Rafe’s entrance. He rubs his tip across the loose muscle, spellbound by the feel of it catching on Rafe’s rim before he pushes forward slowly, feeling Rafe’s body give way to his and welcome him inside.

  Josiah can’t bite back his own groan; the heat of Rafe’s body is just as glorious as he thought it would be. He pushes in slowly, inch by inch, and Rafe takes him perfectly until Josiah settles deep inside of him, his hips pressing against the bruises of his ass. Rafe inhales sharply and his body clenches around Josiah’s cock, and Josiah’s hips thrust forward hard almost of their own accord. Rafe cries out, a choked off sound that makes Josiah’s eyes drift shut even as he thrusts forward again, slower this time but still deep.

  “Does it hurt?”

  “Y-Yes.” Rafe whimpers.

  “It’s supposed to. This is a good hurt, Rafe, pain at its sweetest. You’ll love every second of it and when it’s over every twinge, every ache will be a reminder.”

  Josiah doesn’t give him a chance to respond, just pushes his hips tighter against Rafe’s ass, pressing on the bruises even as he bottoms out inside of him. He pulls back until only the tip of his cock is still inside and then he pushes back inside, angling his thrust so that he hits that spot inside Rafe, sending a rush of pleasure through him even as the bruises ache.

  Rafe’s arms give out on him again but Josiah pushes him back down when he tries to get back up, and wraps one of his palms around the back of his neck and squeezes. Rafe’s hips shove back to meet him at the gesture and Josiah doesn’t try to gentle his pace at all after that. He pushes as deep into Rafe as he can with each thrust, setting up a rhythm that’s both hard and exquisitely slow.

  5Rafe keens beneath him and his hips are trying to match Josiah’s pace, but he’s unable to because of the way he’s pinned. Josiah tightens his hold on Rafe’s neck, the silver of his collar warm beneath his palm as he works himself in and out of his body. It’s exquisite, pleasure arching through his veins at the feel of Rafe’s damp heat tightening rhythmically around his cock. And the sight of Rafe, his back arched and ass bruised as he takes Josiah’s cock like he was crafted for it, is enough to make Josiah’s head spin all on its own.

  “So perfect, Rafe, keeping you forever.” Josiah pants the words out, sweat beading on his forehead.

  He reaches around Rafe and wraps a hand around his weeping cock, and this time instead of squeezing he strokes him from base to tip. Rafe tries to thrust down and back at the same time, caught in the duel sensations of Josiah moving deep inside him and stroking his cock with a matching rhythm.

  He groans in frustrated pleasure laced with pain and Josiah chuckles at him lowly.

  “Shh, pretty. I’ll take care of you. Just relax and feel.”

  Josiah strokes him in time with the thrusts of his hips at first and then he changes it. He runs feather light fingers across Rafe’s cock as he pushes into his ass hard and deep and then grips him with tight fingers as he goes soft and shallow. He can feel his own orgasm building, can feel the sparks of it dancing up his sweat-soaked spine as Rafe’s body fights to keep him inside. Rafe’s not far behind him either, cock thickening and muscles fluttering as he shivers and shakes in Josiah’s hold.

  “Come for me, Rafe. Come.” His voice is deep and dark and filled with an irresistible command.

  Rafe’s hips buck and he cries out, a harsh ringing sound, and spills over Josiah’s hand. Josiah continues to pump him for a moment, before he lets go and raises his cum-soaked hand to his face. He flicks his tongue out to get a taste and hums appreciatively in the back of his throat before he rubs the rest of it into the skin at the small of Rafe’s back. Rafe’s still beneath him, a faint trembling in his muscles the only exception as Josiah continues moving inside of him.

  “Do you want me to come inside you, Rafe? Do you think you deserve that gift?”

  Rafe nods his head as best he can in answer.

  “I want to hear it, Rafe. I want to hear you beg for my cum.”

  “P-Please, Josiah, please come. Please.”

  Rafe slips into begging effortlessly, and Josiah feels his cock twitch before he finally lets himself go, thrusting hard and fast for a few moments before letting himself spill into the willing body beneath him.

  “Thank you, thank you, thank you.” Rafe is muttering the words over and over again, his voice filled with what sounds like sincere gratitude at the feel of Josiah spilling deep inside of him, marking him from the inside out as owned, possessed.

  Josiah’s hips stutter a few more times before he moves the hand that’s still on Rafe’s neck to his waist and tips them both over sideways. They lay tangled in the sheets together for a moment, Josiah still inside of Rafe, and simply breathe. Josiah shifts and they both groan when he slowly slips free of Rafe’s body and then crawls off of the bed. He pads silently into the bathroom and returns with a damp cloth and a small tube of ointment.

  Rafe watches his every move from heavy lidded eyes as Josiah sits down beside his hip and slowly begins to clean off his front. He wipes away the sweat and cum with gentle strokes of the cloth, careful to get every 5inch of Rafe that he can reach.

  “On your stomach.”

  Rafe rolls over and Josiah goes back to washing him. When he’s finished he tosses the cloth to the side and uncaps the tube of ointment and squirts a bit onto the sensitive skin of Rafe’s ass. Rafe hisses when the cold paste makes contact but sighs in contentment when Josiah carefully rubs it into his skin. The ointment will take some of the stinging pain away from the bruises. It’ll also leave enough that Rafe will be able to feel them just like Josiah promised, but it’ll numb the pain a bit so that he can sleep comfortably. When he’s done he returns everything to its proper place and slides back onto the bed beside Rafe’s prone figure.

  He runs a hand down the line of Rafe’s back and then back up again, tangling his fingers in his hair and leaning down to kiss him sweetly just beneath his ear.

  “I told you I’d take care of you, Rafe, that I’d hurt you but never damage you. I meant it.”

  Josiah stretches out on his back and welcomes the weight of Rafe’s body against his own when he moves across the mattress so that he can pillow his head on Josiah’s chest. They drift off to sleep together, blissful and sated, a new level of trust hanging in the air between them.

  5Chapter Fourteen

  Josiah’s shower is cut short by the chiming of his oricula and the automated notice that Marcel is requesting an open channel echoing in his ear. Cursing softly he cuts the spray with a twist of his wrist and climbs out.

  Toweling off violently he stomps out of the bathroom only to be brought up short by the sight of Rafe still sleeping peacefully. The sight of him, arm stretching out across the empty bed like he’s reaching for Josiah, takes the majority of his anger from him in an instance. Marcel’s request pings in his ear again and he rolls his eyes in irritation. With a sigh he pulls his eyes away from Rafe, grabs a change of clothes from the dresser, and slips silently out of the room, careful not to disturb the still sleeping submissive. Rafe’s had a hard few days, preceded by a hard few years, and right now Josiah’s happy to make sure he gets plenty of sleep.

  He presses down on the center of the implant and signals his acceptance of Marcel’s ping. He starts pulling his clothes on slowly as her voice, edgy and restless, fills his ears. Josiah instantly knows something is wrong.

  “Josie, I’m afraid we’ve got a bit of a problem here.”

  Josiah tenses, his muscles clenching tight as he’s put immediately on alert.


  “What is it?” He barks the question out.

  Marcel doesn’t call him on his tone, doesn’t even seem to notice it, which does nothing to ease the tension that’s running rampant through his body.

  “It’s Frisch and Jean Zweil. They’re both saying that we have no right to interfere with what was a legitimate and legal contract and that if Rafe’s not returned to them they’ll file a suit.”

  Josiah barks out a laugh, no humor in his tone, just biting disbelief.

  “That’s the angle they’re playing? As an institute charged with the protection of the citizens of the country we have full right to separate any submissive and dominant pair if there is ample proof of abuse.”

  “And that, my dear, would be the problem. Frisch and the bitch that runs Rafe’s family are saying that the enforcer office doesn’t have ample proof. They’re claiming that Rafe’s injuries were due to a routine punishment and that Rafe is the one in the wrong as he attacked the guards without provocation. They’re willing to take him back of course since all Frisch wants to do is care for his submissive after this misunderstanding.”

  Josiah’s hands curl into tight fists and his teeth grind together at Marcel’s words.

  “Rafe is mine. If Frisch thinks I’ll let him lay a hand on my submissive he’s an idiot. I’ll feed him his own heart before I let him get away with that.”

  There’s a beat of silence and then Marcel’s voice comes across the channel between them, low and serious.

  “You’ve claimed him then? He’s agreed to a contract between the two of you?”

  “He offered one to me and I accepted.”

  Josiah can hear her indrawn breath as his words sink in and then she’s asking him questions in a tone laced 5with urgency.

  “Josiah, you didn’t notify anyone about your intent to form a contract, did you? That would give Frisch grounds to have his case dismissed.”

  Josiah closes his eyes and inhales a deep breath, thankful all over again for Gar’s interference and quick thinking. He’d saved Josiah when Josiah had been too distracted to save himself.

  “No, no I didn’t. I was about to but Gar stopped me. If it’s evidence you need, Marcel, Gar gave me plenty.

  There are things on that chip…well, let’s just say that no tribunal in their right mind would send him back to that. And I’ll kill any who tried.”

  Marcel chuckles low and dark, a sort of pleased violence underlining her tone, a true viciousness that’s rare in her.

  “I’d do the same to anyone that tried to take Isaac from me. Now there’s a data chip you say?”

  “Yes, a gift from Gar. I’m not sure how he got ahold of the information on there, and I probably don’t want to know, but there are things that you need to see. Marcel, this goes way beyond what’s happened to Rafe.

  From the way these files tell it we’re looking at two possible murders.”

  “Fuck. That changes the game a bit. Gar gave you this chip so we both know it’s secure. I’m going to need that chip, Josiah. You can’t risk forwarding the material to me now in case someone tries to intercept it or the information gets leaked. We need to blindside these fuckers before they get the chance to throw more money at their problems.”

  “We’re at my apartment right now. Come and get the data chip if you need it that badly.”

  “There’s not enough time for me to make it to your place and then back here. I’ve got less than half an hour before I have to do my best to persuade a tribunal not to turn Rafe over to one of the most influential houses in the area. I need that chip, Josiah, and I need you to bring it to me.”

  Josiah’s torn for a moment. He knows that Marcel needs the chip, that him taking it to her is the only way to make this work, but at the same time he can’t take Rafe with him and he doesn’t want to leave him alone. He struggles with the dilemma, weighs his options and then sighs heavily when he realizes that he doesn’t have much of a choice.

  “I’ll be there as soon as possible, Marcel, and I’ll contact you when I’m close. Stall if you have to just don’t go into this without this data chip. I’ve got to wake Rafe up and bring him up to speed and then I’m gone.”

  “Hurry.” Marcel disconnects then, ending the conversation in her typical style, and Josiah’s up and moving in the next second, striding down the hall and into the room where Rafe’s just now stirring on the bed.

  “W-What’s wrong?” His voice is rough with sleep, his eyes heavy and unfocused and his hair a disheveled halo around his head. Josiah’s heart clenches painfully at the sight of him.

  “I need you to listen to me, Rafe, and listen well.” His urgency must shine through in his tone because Rafe’s out of the bed and standing in front of him in seconds, eyes alert and body tense.

  “What’s happened? It’s N-Frisch, isn’t it?”

  “Yes.”

  6He sees the fear flash across Rafe’s eyes at his easy admittance and he reaches out and pulls Rafe against his chest, tangling a hand in his hair and wrapping an arm around his waist in reassurance.

  “I need to take that data chip to Marcel. She can’t come here and we don’t have much time. I want you up, awake, and alert. I’ll be back as soon as possible, but you need to be careful, Rafe. Don’t leave the apartment, and don’t take any unnecessary risks. Keep yourself safe no matter what, do you understand me?”

  “Y-Yes.”

  Josiah pulls back, uses the hand in Rafe’s hair to tilt his face up and takes his mouth in a hot, devouring kiss, tongue and teeth working to remind the other who he belongs to. It’s also a promise, a promise that he’ll be back and that everything will be alright. They’re both breathless when he lets go and runs the fingers of his free hand tenderly across Rafe’s face.

  “Be careful, Josiah.”

  Josiah smiles at Rafe gently before pulling away completely so that he can turn on his heel and march out of the room. He doesn’t look back, only stops to gather his weapons and the data chip before he’s out the door, locking it and engaging the security system after he pulls it to.

  He won’t let himself look back because if he does, if he has to see Rafe watching him leave he might not be able to go. This is far too important to mess up.

  He’s in his transport, firing up the starter sequence almost before he realizes it, peeling out of his space and speeding towards Marcel’s location. When he’s close, about five minutes out, he pings Marcel on a secure channel, his hands tight around the steering wheel while he waits for her to respond.

  “Josiah, are you close?” Her voice is sharp and the tension in her tone bleeds over into Josiah, wrenching his nerves even tighter.

  “I’m five minutes out, Marcel. You set fire to the fucking building if you have to. Just buy me five minutes.”

  “Right. Just hurry, Josiah.”

  He ramps up his speed, going entirely too fast, but not able to actually find it in him to care as long as it gets him to the tribunal in time. He skids into a spot outside of the old ornate building with a minute to spare, cutting the power and jumping out of his transport in a single fluid movement. He pushes past the few people who don’t immediately clear out of his way, the urgency he’s feeling clearly being telegraphed in his every move.

  He spots Marcel easily, her signature hair swept up into an elaborate design, and he calls her name even as he makes his way towards her at a quick pace. She spins around, face fierce and determined, and starts towards him. When they meet they’re both steely-eyed and blank faced, their eyes transmitting their every thought to each other as he slips the data chip into the palm of her hand.

  “Stop this, Marcy. Do whatever you have to do to stop this.”

  “Trust me, Josie. I have every intention of doing just that.” She whirls around and takes off, long legs and dangerously spiked heels eating up the ground in front of her at a pace that’s almost unbelievable.

  Josiah lets himself relax a bit, lets some of the tension ease from his shoulders as he readjusts his belt an
d the lay of his rapier and pistol. Marcel has what she needs, has everything to put Frisch away for a very long time 6and to make Jean Zweil pay as well. Rafe will be safe after this, will no longer be tied to a sadistic dominant or a manipulative old woman.

  His oricula pings again with an incoming message from a blocked address and curious he reaches up to accept the connection as he makes his way back towards his transport. He blinks in shock when Gar’s smoky voice, all whiskey smooth and ocean deep, floats into his ear.

  “Josiah, I’m sorry. I wasn’t fast enough. I didn’t expect them to make a move this quickly and I wasn’t fast enough.”

  “Gar, it’s fine, I swear. I got Marcel the chip and she’ll take care of everything. No matter what smooth tricks Frisch tries to pull, Marcel will have all the evidence she needs to counteract his moves.”

  There’s a beat of silence, much like the one with Marcel, and when Gar speaks again his voice is tight, the low tone hard and cold with the icy rage that Gar was so well known for.

  “I’m not talking about the tribunal meeting, Josiah! I’m talking about Zweil himself.”

  Josiah freezes, ignores the crowds of people that move around him on all sides as he focuses on Gar’s voice, ice settling in the pit of his stomach.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “They got him, Josiah. They set off some kind of pulse that took down anything that runs on electricity in almost a block radius and they broke in. Frisch has Zweil, Josiah. He has him and I was too slow to stop it.”

  Josiah doesn’t give himself time to think, time to feel anything. He just breaks into a flat run towards his transport, Gar’s voice ringing in his ears and his mind screaming at him.

  Rafe.

  Rafe.

  Frisch has Rafe and Josiah knows that if they don’t find him quickly Frisch will kill him to keep anyone else from having him.

  6Chapter Fifteen

  Josiah doesn’t register the ride back to his apartment; it passes him by in a blur of shapes outside his transport’s windows and a tight knuckled grip on the steering wheel. When he finally pulls into view he’s out of the vehicle as soon as he’s in the parking area, not even bothering to shut it off or lock it down. It’s not important right now. What’s important is finding out whether or not Gar is right, if Rafe really has been taken.